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ABSTRACT
Mate selection is one of the most improtant decisions an individual make
during their time. Theoretical perspective on spouse selection factors has been
an important research focus in sociological area of marital and family relations.
This study examines the factors that determines mate selection among students
in universityof ilorin. The purpose of the study was to find out and examine mate
preferences among male and female students and how this factors affects the
relationship. Data from the study was collected from a representative sample of
undergraduates’. A total of 116 students were succesfully analyzed using the
simple random probability sampling method. The instrument of the study was
questionnnaire. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to
analyse the data in frequency counts, percentage, while chi-square analysis was
used to test the hypotheses of the study. The result of the study revealed that,
male students have stonger preferences for the physical attractiveness of the
female, while the female students also have stronger preferences for the male
financial success. It is recommended that students should understand that
ultimately the choice is going to be heavily influenced by their intuition, not
necesarily only by logic. This study calls for further investigations to be able to
disentangle the factors that students prefer in their potential future spouse and
the effects these factors have on a lasting relationship.